Being Hokage, from the start until the end
by AsdButTrue
Summary: “If you want me that badly… I’ll become Hokage”. Narusaku.
1. From the start

Hi there

Hi there! This is a fanfiction about Naruto's life as the Hokage in three chapters, from the start to the end.

**FROM THE START**

--

_The two men were looking at each other. All around them, flames were dancing on the grass and within the trees, and enlightened the sky of a golden red colour._

_The same colour that was engulfing Naruto's body, like some sort of flaming chakra with nine tails at the back of his bowing figure._

_Sasuke was looking at him with imperturbable eyes._

"_And so, you thought that getting all crazy could work against me? You're still counting on that monster to get more power… Naruto, you're weak"._

_But the blonde man's face wasn't crazy at all. Sure, those signs on his cheeks were picturesque. But his eyes were of a dark, calm blue. And he was smiling._

"_Sasuke… I'm not the same old Naruto you used to know five years ago… I'm stronger than that stupid fox, now" he said. And his voice sounded as normal as it should have been._

_Sasuke's eyed went wide open for just a second. Then he smiled back at his rival._

"_You can completely control the nine-tails fox, uh? I thought it was impossible if not with Sharingan"._

"_There's always another way. Time ago, I earned its trust" Naruto simply stated. His body didn't move of an Inch. None of them dared to do the first move without preparing a tactic._

_Nobody could argue to the__ fact that, at that time, they had become the two strongest ninjas of the whole earth. _

"_Earned its trust?" Sasuke grinned, "Same ol' Naruto, I see. Nobody else could have thought of something this stupid"._

_Naruto smiled wider in response._

"_And what about you, Sasuke? Did you learn any new jutsu? I hope you've gotten stronger than last time"._

_Sasuke moved a few steps toward the other, wearing a serene smile. Naruto's chakra claws scratched the ground under them._

"_When it comes to training, I'm always two years over you_

--

Naruto was on the top of the Hokage mountain. When he was younger, he used to go there and make some pranks over those faces sculpted on the rock – like staining them with red paint. But he was a kid no more. He was over twenty, now. He was a man – yet not quite, in Sakura's opinion, but he sure looked like one.

Anyway, he did mature. He always had that same brilliant expression of years ago when he had to, and that stupid-looking expression when he didn't understand something.

Sakura arrived there moments later. She was smiling like if she was having the best time of her life.

"Naruto!" she yelled, making the boy turn his head in her direction "Naruto! Tsunade-sama is waiting for you at her office!"

Naruto distorted his mouth in disappointment.

"… Nee, what does the old hag want with me?"

Sakura's vein on her forehead started pulsing faster in anger, but she tried her best to calm down.

"Naruto… Tsunade-sama has something very important to tell you!".

"Important?"

Sakura went all smiling.

"I couldn't tell you… Oh, but who cares!"

She ran over him and hugged him tight. Naruto was too surprised to even hug her back.

"SHE WANTS TO BE SUCCEEDED BY YOU AS THE FIFTH HOKAGE!"

Naruto gulped and froze. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting from him. That was his biggest dream since, well, ever! And now he had made it. He just was under shock, maybe. Better ask, anyway.

"Naruto… is something wrong?"

He pulled her away and bowed his head.

"Naruto…?" Sakura hesitantly asked him again.

"I'm not going to accept" he said, softly.

Sakura was in disbelief. She couldn't find anything to say.

"What are you talking about? Did you understand what I said?"

"I did, pretty well. And I should admit, at first I was happy to hear it. But… I can't" he answered, giving his back at her.

"What?? Why is it, you can't??"

"I can't be Hokage, not until I do what I still have to do".

":.. Have to do?" Sakura trembled.

"Yes. How can I be Hokage, if I can't even save my friend?".

"YOU BAKA!!" Sakura yelled, punching him on his head with strength. Naruto almost lost his balance, but then regained it in time.

"Ouch!! Sakura-chan! What was that for?".

"You should know better! Shannaro! You know what Tsunade-sama once told me?? Jiraya-sensei once spoke those exact words! He never became Hokage because he felt like running after Orochimaru! Still, you're different from him!".

Naruto looked at her. Tear were resting on the lower part of her eyes, although she was trying her best to keep them inside. That vision made the boy feel really awful.

"You saved your… our friend. You did!".

--

_Naruto and Sasuke were still facing each other. After a whole hour of fight, there still was no winner. And they both were exhausted and low on chakra. _

"_Why, why, why won't you leave me alone?" Sasuke snarled._

"_I… can't… because you're my pal"._

"_I have to kill Uchiha Madara! Why won't you understand that?"_

"… _Ah… Look at you… Always searching for revenge… First Itachi, then Konoha, then Madara…"_

"_What, are you saying that Madara doesn't deserve to die for all he did?"._

"_I'M TELLING YOU TO DO THIS TOGETHER! ME, YOU AND SAKURA. Madara has the whole power of all the other eight tail-beasts! You can't beat him individually. I want to help you, you dumbass!"._

"_This… This is an Uchiha affair. You have nothing to do with it. Moreover, I don't think like your power could be that useful to me. You're still weak, you dobe"._

_Naruto growled in rage and stood on his feet. _

"_WELL THEN, SASUKE! If I defeat you, you'll do what I say, and accept my help!"._

_Sasuke stayed still. Tomoe were rolling in his red eyes, as he activated his Magenkyo Sharingan for the last blow. _

"_Magenkyou Chidori" he mumbled. _

"_Eh… I see like you're even going to use that technique and ruin your eyes, to defeat me" Naruto stated, "Then, I'll have to go all out, too. FUTON, RASEN SHURIKEN!"_

_The ground trembled, and all the flames around them grew even bigger. Two balls of chakra –as big as a soccer ball - appeared in their both hands. _

_They prepared for the ultimate strike. Charged up, and then dashed up ahead. _

_--_

Sakura's voice became softer.

"You were able to put some sense in his head. And thanks to this…"

Naruto was still giving his back at her.

"BAKA, LOOK AT ME!" she punched him again. Naruto looked at her.

"… Thanks to this, you persuaded him to fight with us, and we killed Uchiha Madara. Thanks to this, the world is in peace… and Sasuke-kun, too".

Naruto wasn't accepting it.

"But, Sakura-chan… he didn't come back with us at Konoha! And I promised I would have taken him back to you!"

Sakura suddenly looked like… empty. She said slowly:

"Is this what you really promised?"

"Of… Of course, Sakura-chan. I promised you. You know".

Sakura couldn't have it anymore. She cried.

"I thought you had understood, already…"

Naruto looked at her in confusion.

"He… Sasuke-kun… He's… back to his former self. He's not that obsessed with revenge anymore. He's… Even if he's not back in Konoha, I know you saved his soul from corruption. YOU SAVED HIM! YOU SAVED US ALL! And that stupid promise of yours… who cares about that!".

Sakura fell to her knees, sobbing. Naruto didn't know what to do. He somehow knew she was saying the truth… But he still didn't feel like deserving the title of Hokage. But Sakura had something else to say.

"If… If you won't be our… my Hokage, I won't accept… any other Hokage".

Naruto was shocked to hear those words.

And then a voice came from behind them: "Speaking the truth, I agree with Sakura".

Shikamaru's voice.

And indeed, when Naruto and Sakura turned their head, they saw Shikamaru. And Chouji. And Ino, Neji, Ten Ten, Kakashi, Gai, Sai, Lee, and all the gang. Tsunade was there, too.

"I can't see anyone fitting that title more than you, Naruto" Kakashi added.

Gai and Lee both were in the "nice guy" pose.

And Tsunade said:

"Naruto, for the first time in my life, I have to agree with you: I'm an old hag. I can't be the Hokage anymore. Now, you're even stronger than me. And I want you to succeed me".

Naruto stared in disbelief. He couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Everyone…" he tried to say.

"Just say yes, already" Neji said.

"Yeah" Ino marked up.

"Way to go, Naruto!" Chouji.

"You made it" Iruka said.

Naruto looked at everyone. Everyone… Everyone wanted him to become Hokage. He looked at Sakura again. She was on her knees, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Please…" she begged, "If you don't realize your dream… to keep a promise you made me… it will hurt me more than if you didn't keep your promise".

That was enough. He smiled back to her, with that smile that always surprised her, as if it was the easiest thing to do, for him, in the worst situation.

"Okay, then" he simply said. He looked at her, then at all the others.

"If you want me that badly… I'll become Hokage".

--

_The clash had destroyed everything around them. The flames disappeared, as if their fuel had just vanished with the end of the fight. _

_Naruto and Sasuke were both lying on the ground, with no strength._

"_Now… now do what I say" Naruto whispered._

"_Eh… you still didn't defeat me! I win!" Sasuke replied, but he himself sounded much less persuaded by what he said than he thought._

"_I'm… not… finished, either" Naruto replied back. They tried to move their bodies, but it was too difficult for both of them. _

"_Eh…Eh… Eheh…" Naruto giggled._

"_What the hell are you laughing for, dobe?" Sasuke objected._

"_You… You can't move!" he grinned._

"_YOU NEITHER, idiot!" _

"_Ahah… t-true…" Naruto laughed again._

_And Sasuke smiled, but he turned his head not to be seen by the other man. _

"_Sasuke… Pal, you will need my strength..." _

"…_Hmppf. You've become strong… pal…"_

**End of part 1.**

Thank you for reading. Did you like it?


	2. Until

Hi there! Thanks to Forgotten Werewolf and Dbzgtfan2004 for their reviews. Here is the second chapter. Hope you'll like it.

**UNTIL**

Tsukuku wasn't at all like they all expected a writer of a gossip magazine to be. He was elegant, with that white shirt and black pants, and those glasses he wore made him look like a very simple person. Even his voice was nothing particular. And ordinary man, that's what he looked like. Still, he was what he was.

"Well, then, if you're okay with it, I'm going to ask you the first question" he said, picking a paper from the table in front of him. On the other side of the table, his five interviewed were sitting on a large easy chair.

"First of how many?" Shikamaru asked, obviously annoyed by this situation.

"It's not important how many, we will answer to all" Ino said, while pinching Shikamaru's arm. The man tried hard to suffocate a whimper.

"More importantly, Naruto still isn't arrived. Shouldn't we wait for him?" Lee noted, looking right and left, as if the Hokage was going to arrive in moments.

Tsukuku answered with an innocent smile:

"Oh, don't worry about that. I had a few questions to ask you guys, too".

Lee got all excited. "To me, too? Hooray!"

"Moreover, I have not so much time to waste, since I have to go the hospital as soon as this interview is finished" Sakura added. She knew it better. Naruto wouldn't come.

"Shouldn't the hospital have the priority on a stupid interview?" Shikamaru asked the pink haired girl, rising both his eyebrows.

"Oh, no, no, I only have to check minor things. It's not that important, really, but I should do it anyway, because otherwise Tsunade-sama will get angry at me" she answered, "forgetting" to add that moreover she wanted to join this interview as bad as Ino did, because she loved that gossip magazine!

"Then, let's start" Tsukuku said, one hand grabbing a pen and the other on the paper.

"You're the Hokage closest friends – or at least, those available for this interview – so I'd be very curious to know what you think of Naruto-sama as the Hokage".

"There's no need to ask us for this… All the newspapers are complimenting with him for his accomplishments in these two years…" Shikamaru pointed, but before Ino pinched him again, the interviewer answered.

"That's right. All the newspapers are talking about his accomplishments. So, that's why I'M NOT asking you about those things. He brought peace to the shinobi world, and money to the Fire Land, but my magazine doesn't care about that. I want to know the "man" behind the legend".

The ninjas stared at him blankly. They didn't know where he was getting at. Then he continued:

"For example, despite of being that great man he is, doesn't he have any defect?"

Ino and Sakura grinned fiercely. Shikamaru and Lee sweated cold. Sai, on the other hand, kept a straight face.

"Sometimes he's as mature as an eight years old kid!" Sakura stated.

"He spends all his money on Ramen!" Ino added.

"And he usually is oblivious to things that should be obvious!" Sakura.

"And he teaches to youngsters to use perverted justsus!" Ino.

"And he's clumsy!" Sakura.

"And stubborn!" Ino.

As the girls went on enumerating his flaws, Tsukuku wrote everything down on the paper, giggling for the gossip he was learning about the great Hokage.

"A trio of gossiper… How troublesome" Shikamaru stated.

But right then, Tsukuku looked right at him, and asked:

"And what about you, uhm… Shikamaru-san? Do you have anything to say?"

"Not at all, I feel like his reputation has already been destroyed enough" the man replied.

"And what about you? Lee-san!"

Lee's eyes sparkled.

"I'm… His RIVAL!!" the thick-brows answered with enthusiasm.

"Come back to heart, you moron…" Ino whispered to herself.

"And you, Sai-kun?" Tsukuku asked, looking at the silent guy.

Sai looked back, and answered: "Well, his peni-"

Couldn't end his sentence, because Sakura punched him hard in the face.

"QUIT TALKING ABOUT THAT ALREADY!"

A little sweatdrop appeared on everyone's face. Tsukuku needed a few moments to recover from the fear he felt of that woman, who looked so cute and sweet, but had that terrible strength.

But then, he asked:

"Ehmm… Sakura-sama, you said the Fifth can be clumsy, at times. You're one of the three legendary new-generation sannin, as declared by Tsunade-sama. Moreover you know him since you both were twelve years old. You surely have some episodes to tell me to support your statement".

Sakura thought about it, ignoring Sai who was losing blood from his nose.

"Hmm…"

-- --

_Sakura was happy every time she looked at those child__ren. Mikuzu had those white long hair that made him look like Jiraiya when he was 12, but he was far more gentle and polite than that pervert; Ittiro was very talented but clumsy, in some way he reminded her of Naruto, and she liked his short black hair; and then Saori, that cute little girl, was so smart and funny, and Sakura feared someday that same cute little girl would have become much more beautiful than her. _

_She adored those children, but of course she couldn't show them. She was their sensei, afterall._

"_What are you going to teach us today, Sakura-sama?" Mikuzu asked._

"_Yeah, yeah, some new jutsu! Some new jutsu!" Ittiro proposed._

_Saori looked silently at her sensei with a beautiful smile._

"_Uhmm, well, what can I teach you…?"_

"_Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called._

"_Naruto? What are you doing here?" Sakura said in his direction._

_At that name, the three kids turned their head in the same time. They knew that name. It was the name of the almighty Fifth Hokage! _

"_Eheheh… I wasn't feeling like signing all those papers, so I asked Shikamaru to deal with it"._

_Naruto explained as coming closer._

_Sakura rised an eyebrow. "There's no way you could persuade that lazy bum to do all that work"._

"_In fact, he said no. Anyway, I heard you didn't know what training to do. I have an idea!"_

_Pretending not to hear Sakura who was asking him that if Shikamaru rejected, then who was going to sign those papers, Naruto looked at the sparkling eyes of those kid sitting in front of him. He took two bells from his pocket._

"_You'll have to take these bells from me. But you'll have to attack me with full intent to kill, otherwise you'll never be able to succeed". _

_The kids nodded. They knew he wasn't lying. He was the most powerful ninja of the world._

"_Like this?" Saori asked, after taking one bell from Naruto's hand. Since he was caught unprepared, and didn't want to let it know, he smiled clumsily _

"_Yeah, yeah, just like that… But wait for me to say when we start, ok?"_

_Sakura sighed._

--

"Interesting, interesting" Tsukuku murmured while writing on his paper. But then he rose his head up, and asked again:

"Well, and does the Hokage have any love affair? You know, every great man has a great woman behind him".

Ino laughed out loud, and everybody looked at her.

"Why are you laughing, Ino-san?" the interviewer asked.

"Because his love affair is here, in this room" she answered, pointing to Sakura.

Sakura blushed as if a whole bucket of hot water had fall on her. Lee's heart lost a beat. Shikamaru giggled, being very careful to not let her notice he did. Sai was still blooding, and somebody truly had to worry about his conditions.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, INO PIG?" Sakura yelled.

Ino decided to ignore that "pig", because she was very amused by her reaction.

"Come on, big forehead, there's no need to be in denial".

Tsukuku looked at her with new interest, but Sakura was not going to give in. She couldn't. But, on the other hand, she was in panic.

"That's a lie! He even refused a date with me!" she shouted. Only after saying it, she noticed it was even more embarrassing than if she hadn't said anything. All her friends were staring at her blankly. Shannaro. She had to quickly add something.

"Well… uhmm… It's not as you think…"

--

_After three hours of training, the three kids had to give up. There was no way they could catch those bells from Naruto's hands. At least until Naruto stopped, looked at them and opened his palms:_

"_Ok, that's enough. You can take the bells"._

_Ittiro stepped forward happily, but Mikuzu stopped him with one hand._

"_Wait a moment. There are just two bells, but we are three. What happens to the one of us who can't get a bell?" the boy asked._

_Naruto grinned, and answered: "Well, that one will be tied up to the trunk and will have no dinner tonight". Sakura smiled. That brought back memories._

_The kids stayed still, confused. Mikuzu looked at Saori, who looked at Ittori, who looked at Mikuzu. And then, Mikuzu was the first to speak._

"_Go on, guys. Take the bells"._

"_Ahaha… No, Mikuzu, you and Saori take them. I… I ate sooo much at lunch, today, so I can skip a meal!" Ittori interjected._

_Saori went mad: "Stop acting all cool, you two! You don't need to be soft on me just because I'm a girl! I'm not taking one of those bells if this means one of you will have to be tied to a trunk!"._

_Since the guys were protesting, she came closer to Naruto and spoke for all the three of them._

"_Give me the bells"._

_Everybody was very surprised to hear it, because of what she had just said a few minutes ago. But Naruto did as she said, and gave her both the bells._

_She put one of the bells on the ground, then she charged up… and punched it once, twice, three times. Everybody looked at her in shock. Her hand began to bleed._

"_What… what the hell…" Ittori tried to say, but was interrupted by Saori's crying. _

"_Saori!!" Mikuzu yelled, running by her side._

_She looked at him, crying for the pain__ with her eyes, but smiling with her mouth._

"_It's… it's nothing. Look…" she pointed to the bell on the ground, covered by her blood. The guys looked at it. It had broken in half._

"_Now… Now we can all have a bell!" she said, still smiling._

_Mikuzu__ was trying to do his best not to cry, biting his own lips. Ittori sat next to her, checking her hand while rubbing it down softly. Then, Sakura intervened. _

"_Now, Ittori, let me heal her hand" she said to the boy, gently. Ittori nodded._

_Naruto was unable to say anything. That girl…_

"_You all pass!" he said with his best smile, referring to the kids._

_Saori smiled happily, despite her pain. Ittori looked at her, worried. And Mikuzu kneeled in front of the girl, and said with a very serious tone of voice:_

"_Next time, ask for our help. I don't want to see you cry anymore". _

…

"_Well, I really was impressed by your pupils" Naruto said. The kids had already gone, and he and Sakura were the only ones on the training field. _

"_I know. Aren't they great?" Sakura said, looking at her friend with a sincere smile._

"_Yup" Naruto answered, "especially that girl. You know, she could be the next Hokage. During the training, I noticed she already learnt some of your Justus!". _

"_I know. She's very talented" Sakura admitted._

_Naruto got lost in his thoughts. Then, when he looked at the sunset, and realized what time it was, he exclaimed:_

"_KAMI, I'm late!!"_

_Sakura stared blankly._

"_Late? For what?"._

_Then she remembered. "Oh, you mean for the interview? Don't' worry, we still have about an hour…"_

_Naruto looked back at her with that usual expression he had when he was confused, that expression she found so funny._

"_Interview? Is that today?__"_

"_Yeah! What, you forgot? So what did you mean when you said "I'm late"? Late for what?" Sakura asked._

"_I'm late for the appointment with Sasuke-teme" he answered._

_Sakura froze. Not again. She yelled in anger:_

"_WHAT?? Are you going to fight him again??"_

"_Well… I have to… We do it twice every year. And we won't stop until one of us will win". _

"_NARUTO" the woman growled, "Every time you two fight, you come back with a lot of wounds! You'll end up killing each other, one day!"._

"_We're not aiming to kill each other. Besides, I have to do it, even if you're gonna hit me for this!" he replied, smiling clumsily and putting one hand behind his head._

"_WHY?" she retorted, "Why do you have to kick the crap out of each other?"._

_Naruto noticed Sakura was getting angrier and angrier, so he thought the best thing he could do was to run away. _

"_Wait!" she ordered, grabbing his arm, "If you stay here and renounce to get killed, I'm going on a date with you!"._

_She could feel his arm freeze, but he wouldn't look her into the eyes._

"_Sakura-chan…"_

"_My treat?" she added, hopefully._

_Naruto set free from Sakura's grasp, and finally looked at her._

"_I… I can't" he whispered, then he left._

_--_

The room fell into silence.

"Do… Are you implying that Naruto'd rather fight with Sasuke than going on a date with you?" Ino babbled. Then she exploded in laugh. Sakura's face went all red.

"I actually didn't know those two used to have a fight twice in a year. What a troublesome rivalry" Shikamaru stated, scratching his chin.

Lee got quite depressed. It seemed he wasn't his only rival, afterall.

But Sai, who in the meantime had recovered from his wound on the nose, had something to add.

"I don't understand why Naruto rejected Sakura, can't understand all this "rivalry" thing, but I know one thing: Sakura is still Naruto's weakness".

Sakura sulked.

"Wait, Sai, you're not going to tell that story, are you…?"

--

_Sakura, Sai, Kakashi and Yamato were at Ichiraku Ramen. They were waiting for Naruto, but he was late._

"_That damn baka!" Sakura snorted._

"_Now, now, don't be upset, Sakura" Kakashi said, trying to calm her down, "he's the Hokage! He's very busy, you know!"_

"_But, Kakashi-sensei, he's even more late than you!" she whined._

_Kakashi sulked in depression._

"_I really miss those times when you looked at me with respect" he murmured, to anyone in particular._

"_Sakura has a point. Besides, we're here only for him. I didn't want to eat Ramen" Yamato complained. _

_After a few minutes, a frantic Kiba appeared from the door _

"_Guys!! You have to see this! Naruto has been defeated in a fight!"_

_Kakashi, Yamato and Sakura looked at him with a shocked face. Only Sai didn't show any emotion, although he curiously looked at Kiba with a bit of ramen falling from his mouth. _

_They all followed Kiba to a street, where they saw something not even their fervid imagination could ever have expected to see:_

_Naruto, unconscious on the ground, with blood coming out of his nose, and a naked Sakura jumping all around in happiness._

"_Yatta! I defeated him! Sexy Weakness no jutsu!" she screamed._

_That, of course, wasn't the real Sakura. The real Sakura was looking at the scene with evident disgust. Which meant, the only explicable reason for two Sakura being in the same place was only one._

"_Konohamaru…" she roared. The boy, after hearing her voice, turned back in his original form, and looked at the pink-haired medic nin with a fear he never had felt before._

_--_

After this tale, not even Shikamaru could stop laughing, although he was trying his best, but every try to restrain himself just made him laugh more.

Sakura didn't punch Sai in time, and now she was unable to even move.

Lee was lost in his imagination, thinking that he would have lost, too, after being attacked by such a terrible jutsu.

Tsukuku was smiling, but not laughing. He looked at Sakura, and said, with a very gentle voice:

"So, he DOES like you".

Sakura almost fainted.

Tsukuku wrote everything down.

--

The interview finally ended. Sakura trembled in fear when she tried to imagine what could Tsukuku write in his article for his magazine, but she had something more urgent to worry about.

She made his way to the hospital, and visited the room in which she knew would have found what she was looking for. There was only one room, in the top floor of the building, which could contain those two morons.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun" she said, with a peremptory tone, as she entered the room.

The "two morons" looked at her, and stopped arguing as they had been doing since the very minute they had arrived at the hospital.

They were all covered with bandages, lying on the bed. Wounds everywhere. Sakura sighed.

"You don't deserve to be healed" she said, her expression very serious.

"Please, Sakura-chan, only you can save us!" Naruto said, half-a-way between mocking and begging.

Sasuke just "hmpf-ed" and looked the other way.

Sakura came slowly to check the medical records at the end of their beds.

"Naruto, you have three broken ribs, and your right arm is even worse. You should rest for at least one year to completely recover but, thanks to your incredible self-healing skills and a bit of my help, you'll be as new in one week".

"One week?? I'm the Hokage, I can't rest for that much!" he complained, but he stopped as soon as Sakura glared at him with a killing look. Then, she continued with Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, after all that stress, your eyes shouldn't be able to recover in less than two years. Let's not talk about your left arm. But since you're that well trained and resistant, and I'm the one who will cure you, you'll do it in about seven days, too".

"A-ah!" Naruto exclaimed in joy, "I'll recover in less time than you, so I'm the winner!"

Sasuke looked at him like he was an alien.

"Seven days and one week are the same thing, YOU DOBE!"

Naruto was caught off-guard, and began to count on his fingers.

"Screw that, I'm outta here" Sasuke murmured, standing up and walking toward the window.

"W-wait, Sasuke-kun… Your wounds are very serious, you need medical treatment!" Sakura said, too fearful to even touch him. But she couldn't restrain the Uchiha.

Before he jumped off the window, he looked at her, and said: "Thank you, Sakura. But I can't stay here". Then, he left.

Sakura stared at the window long after he was gone, and that hurt Naruto more than his wounds.

"Sakura-chan…" he softly said, "… It's not like he doesn't like your company. It's just that, you know, after attacking Konoha he feels guilty and thinks he doesn't deserve to come back, and that his true home is with the guys of "Hawk"…"

Sakura still looked at the window, but heard what Naruto said.

"Why are you defending him?" she asked.

"Oh? Hemm…." Naruto babbled, "It's just… that I don't want you to feel bad about that… you know…"

She turned her head to look at him, and sighed.

"Will you ever stop worrying about others, and worry more about yourself? Just look at you. Once again, you got very close to death. And this story goes on since two years ago".

"Why do I have to worry for myself? You're there to heal me!" he answered with a smirk.

That was Naruto for you. He said such things like they were nothing, with that innocent look, and still he could always touch the heart of his interlocutor.

Sakura got close to him to check the bandages, and talked to him with a sad smile.

"Is it too much to ask you why you keep on doing this? What's so important on deciding who is stronger between you and him?"

"It's not just about that… Ouch!" Naruto's sentence was stopped by the sudden pain he felt when Sakura touched one of his wounds.

"Sorry" Sakura said, "Then, what is the other reason?"

"It's a bet between me and him. If he will be able to defeat me, I promised to leave him alone. But-Ouch!"

"Stop complaining like a kid. I didn't even touch you this time!"

"Uh… well… But if I win, he promised he would come back to Konoha. To us. To you-OOOOUCH!"

This time, Sakura didn't hurt him by mistake. He really got angry, and pressed one of his wounds.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, but then he shut up. He noticed tears were coming from Sakura's eyes.

"Sakura-chan…?"

"I… can't believe this" she murmured.

Naruto didn't understand.

"Uh? Why are you crying, Sakura-chan?"

"You mean, for all these years, you fought Sasuke-kun to bring him back…. TO ME?" she yelled, still crying.

"Uh… That's… what I promised you, isn't it?"

"Naruto… …. STOP THIS OR I'M GOING TO SMASH YOU! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR WOUNDS!"

That scared Naruto to death. He quietly shut up and covered his face 'till his nose with the sheets. Sakura couldn't stop her tears anymore. She kneeled on his bed.

"Why?" was all she could ask.

Naruto hesitantly answered.

"… Because that's my ninja way. I don't go back on my words. Besides… I don't want you… to be sad…"

Sakura slapped his face. Naruto screamed in terror.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" he screamed again, defensively. Then he looked at her eyes. She was as sad as he had never seen her. She decided to give vent to everything she felt.

"YOU… YOU BAKA! STOP THIS! Who.. Who do you think I am? Do you think I'm a stupid girl who can't come over a childish crush? Do you think I need to be protected for the rest of my life?"

Naruto didn't know what to do. He didn't want her to cry. How the hell did this happen?

"No! No, I don't think that of you! I know you don't need to be protected! But … But I want to protect you anyway!"

"AND what about WHAT I WANT?"

Naruto froze, completely surprised by that question, although it seemed kinda obvious.

"You… You want to be happy…?" he said, uncertain.

Sakura calmed down, and sighed. She had told that guy of the magazine: sometimes, Naruto could be oblivious to obvious things.

"Naruto… I don't love Sasuke-kun anymore. I care of him as a friend, a very important friend, but… I'm not twelve anymore… so please, would you make another promise to me?"

Naruto didn't need to think about it.

"Of course! Anything you want!" he answered.

"Then…" Sakura looked at him in a strange way he couldn't decipher, "… promise me you'll forget about that promise".

"Uh?" the Hokage couldn't think of anything else to say. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, but that's kind of confusing! You want me to promise I'll forget about my promise? But then what's the importance of this promise I'm making you if I can't keep a promise?"

"Oh, shut up, you're just making things more complicated!" Sakura said, "What I really want to say is that you should stop worrying about Sasuke-kun… and ME. How many times do I have to tell you, before you understand it?"

"But…"

"DON'T "but" me. Just promise".

"You want me to… Promise I won't keep my promise? That's nonsense!"

Sakura sighed. How could he be that way? Why was he that way? Why did she like him that way?

"Naruto, I care about you more than I care about him" she then said in a whisper. She couldn't even believe she had said it.

And Naruto was as persuaded as she was.

"W-What?"

She had said it. There was no need to deny it anymore.

"I care about you more than I care about anyone else" she confirmed. She cried. Again. It was time to say everything.

"So… So… Please… Would you stop risking your life for something I don't care about anymore? Can you promise me this? And keep this promise as stubbornly as you did with that other one?"

Sakura hugged him in desperation. This time, he had to promise. He had to!

Naruto's life had always been troublesome. But it seemed like he finally obtained everything he wished for. He saved his friend. He became Hokage. He obtained the heart of the woman he had loved since ever.

"Yes" he whispered, hugging Sakura back, "I promise you. It's a promise of a lifetime"

**Well? Did you like it?**


	3. The end

Thank you all for your reviews. I really mean it. Now, with the final part of this story.

**THE END**

Saori was looking at herself in the mirror. A lot of time had passed since she was a little genin. She was twenty, now. And that ceremony dress she was wearing, she really liked it. With a small blush, she admitted to herself she looked quite pretty in it. On the other hand, she wasn't totally sure.

"What do you think, Sakura-sama? How do I look?" she asked.

Sakura was behind her, looking at her beautiful pupil. The woman was about fifty, now, but she looked as she was as young as Saori, thanks to a useful jutsu Tsunade had passed to her.

"My, you've grown into a wonderful woman, Saori. I'm… proud of you" she whispered.

Saori smiled contently.

"And… what about the dress?"

"Oh, I think that really suits you" a male voice said from behind the door of her room. Saori knew very well that voice.

"Naruto-sama!" she said, turning her head to look at the man she had learnt to respect like nobody else in the world, except for Sakura-sama, that is, "Are you sure about this? Wouldn't you reconsider thinking it back?".

Naruto smiled warmly at her. He was older, too. And, unlike his wife, he didn't know any jutsu that could make him look younger, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't have used it. He was proud of his white hair. He said it made him look like some sort of a sage. Like that Jiraiya-guy she never had the chance to meet.

"You'll be a great Hokage" he reassured her.

She sat on her bed. She wasn't as sure at that man was.

"I don't know. Will I able to make the right decisions? Will I be able to keep the village safe from danger? Will I be able to fight for it with all I've got, just like you did?"

--

"_We three again, uh?" Sasuke said, as cool as always._

"_Maybe it's destiny" Sakura said, with a mocking smile._

_Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder._

"_Hey, pal, I bet you're trying to look cool, but deep down you envy my white hair!"_

"_Hmpf. Uchiha's hair never change its colour. And I'm fine with it. At least, I don't look like an old geezer as you do" he mumled._

"_Do you really have to fight over anything, even at a time like this?" Sakura exclaimed, bringing them back to reality, to that monstrous being with ten tails standing not too far from them._

_Sasuke stared at it with no emotion._

"_I thought we had finally gotten ride of that Madara-sucker" Naruto lamented, at that sight._

"_That's not Madara" Sasuke reminded them, "it's just a little present he left us after his death"._

"_I just wonder why it didn't attack Konoha earlier" Sakura stated._

"_Whatever. Let's just do this" Sasuke sentenced, grabbing his katana's handle._

_--_

"I chose you right because I think you can do all those things" Naruto answered Saori, "And even more".

Saori couldn't help but smile at his reassuring voice. He could always make her feel better. She understood perfectly why Sakura-sama loved him as much as she did. Still… Still, she wasn't THAT self-confident. She needed more good words.

"But Naruto-sama, Sakura-sama, will I ever be able to put my life on the line?".

"You'll be" Sakura intervened, caressing the girl's hair gently.

"Moreover" Naruto added, "the Hokage couldn't do anything more honourable than dieing to protect his village".

"But… Isn't that kind of sad?" Saori asked, doubtfully.

"Sad? Why?" Naruto replied with a puzzled face.

"Naruto, that's not so hard to understand" Sakura provoked him.

"But, Sakura-chan, when someone becomes Hokage, it's because he wants to protect everything he cherish, and everyone who is too weak to do it on his own".

Sakura hugged him, because she knew he really did mean that. That was the kind of man he was. Naruto hugged her back, and spoke again:

"And, Saori, I know you feel exactly that way. You were born to protect the others, I know you, isn't it true?"

Saori nodded, as her heart warmed up.

"Yes, Naruto-sama, sometimes I even think you know me better than myself".

Naruto laughed shyly.

"Well, how was the fight with the ten-tailed demon?" Saori asked, to change the subject.

"Like sleeping in a bed of roses"

--

_That monster was so strong it looked like it really had come from hell itself. The three legendary next-generation sannins were hurt pretty badly after just a few minutes of fight._

_Naruto could barely move, and Sakura was trying her best to heal him, but she was out of chakra, too. Sasuke could stand only by leaning on his katana, stuck in the ground. _

"_Eh… So what, now? Are we going to be defeated like three stupid apprentice ninjas?" Naruto grinned ironically._

"_My ass" Sasuke panted._

"_I'm not even considering losing, either" Sakura affirmed, looking at the scratch on Naruto's arm slowly disappearing as her jutsu began to affect it. The demon roared at them. _

"_Eheh…" Naruto giggled in pain, "… Then it's settled. We only have one chance to win. We have to use the forbidden jutsu"._

_Sakura froze. Sasuke looked at his friend with a cold expression._

"_We… Can't we really try anything else?" Sakura murmured, as Naruto stood back up one more time. _

"_No. We're out of chakra. All we can do is concentrate our life forces in one last blast. We all know how to do. And that monster won't stand a chance against our combined attack"._

_Sakura stood up by his side and took his hand in hers._

"_It's going to hurt us pretty much, though" he concluded. His grin never left his foxy-like face._

_Sakura stared at their opponent without saying a word for a few instants, but then she spoke._

"_I'm with you. I always will be", she said with decision. Naruto looked at her intensely: her eyes were so beautiful when they sparkled in determination, like gem stones in the dark. _

_Sasuke just shook his head._

"_I'm not leaving all the fun to you two"._

_Both Naruto and Sakura looked back at him. Their friend and team mate._

_The demon roared again. For some reason, it didn't move, like if it was afraid of them. _

_--_

"Glad to hear it" Saori said sincerely, "But I know you're lying! It must have been one hell of a fight, am I right?"

Naruto laughed out aloud. Sakura punched him softly on the head.

"Sssst!" she said, "you're going to wake Somei up!"

The three of them looked at the cradle, in a corner of the room. The baby in it was still sleeping quietly, and Naruto sighed in relief.

"My bad" he apologized.

Sakura smiled softly to him. Then she looked at her young former apprentice.

"Saori… We have to leave now. Sasuke-kun is waiting for us" she informed her, "we entrust you our daughter".

"You can count on me" she said, with a warm smile.

"Hey, Saori!! Who the hell are you talking to?"

Ittori and Mikuzu had just arrived in the same room.

"Sssstt! You'll wake the baby up!" she said to them, "And by the way, what do you mean "who are you talking to"? Can't you see…"

She turned to point Naruto and Sakura… but they were nowhere to be found. She shuddered.

Of course she knew the truth, deep down in her heart. That was obvious. She sighed, as a sad smile appeared on her face.

"Nothing… I was just thinking out loud" she justified herself.

"Hurry up, or you'll be late for the ceremony!"

--

She had to give a speech to all the people gathered there, under that balcony where she stood, to greet the new Hokage. The seventh, in order.

What did they expect her to say? Whatever, she just had to do that. It was a Konoha's tradition. The new Hokage should introduce him/herself to the villagers. She sighed, and tried to think about something to say.

"Hermm… Hello, everyone. I'm Saori Furuoda. And I'm the Seventh Hokage".

The crowd applauded.

"I… I didn't really know what being a Hokage is, when I was younger. I learned it slowly, time after time, thanks to that very special person the Sixth was".

She took a long breath, before continuing.

"He taught me a lot. He taught me everything I know. And… I must say I'll be grateful to him for this, for the rest of my life.

He taught me that being a shinobi is not just about jutsu, but also about honour, will, and heart. He taught me, that when things get bad, the best way to face them is with a smile.

He was my teacher, my Hokage and, above all, he was my friend".

She gasped trying to restrain her tears. The crowd was silent, sharing that pain with her.

"I don't know… I don't know if I will ever be as great as he was… But… I made a promise to him. A promise of a lifetime. I promised that I will always take care of Konoha. That I'll do my best, and that I'll sacrifice my life to save that of this village, just… just… as he did"

She cried, but she had to finish her speech.

"I promised… sob… That I will never go back on my word!".

The sorrow was too heavy for her to carry. Mikuzu and Ittori, who had been by her side for all that time, came closer to her.

"Saori… maybe you could end it here…" Ittiro proposed.

She shook them of.

"Thank… Thank you, but I'm fine".

She recovered, and smiled to all that people looking at her.

"I will miss him. I will miss Sakura-sama, my sensei, too. They, along with Uchiha Sasuke, are to be considered models for us to stick to".

At the name of Sasuke, the crowd murmured. But Saori was not going to tolerate it.

"Yes, Sasuke too. He was an Uchiha, and attacked Konoha. But he admitted his mistakes, and his sacrifice is as noble as that of the other two. Until the very end, he tried to make up for all he had done. And he gave up his life, to save ours!"

Saori's peremptory tone of voice shut all the complains up.

"I…" she continued, "I will miss them all. BUT I won't be sad for them anymore. Because I know… I know…they died with a smile.

The smile of those who know they're dieing for a cause…"

--

"_Naruto-sama!" she yelled at that big man who was the Hokage._

_He looked back at her with a bright smile._

"_What is that, Saori-chan?" he said. _

"_What's the most important thing for an Hokage?" she asked innocently._

_Naruto was caught out of guard. That was a very difficult question, although for a girl of her age it might seem just as simple as it could._

"_Hmm…" he thought about that, then he answered: "Of course! It's protecting the lives of all people"._

"_All people?" she echoed in surprise._

"_Sure. You know, for an Hokage that's more important than anything"._

"_Even more important that your own life?" she asked, worried._

"_Yeah! If giving up my life would mean saving those of a lot of innocent people, than I'd do it with a smile! Just like this!" he said, and smiled to her in a very silly way._

_She laughed._

--

She laughed.

"That's what being the Hokage means" she concluded, "And I'm promising you I'll be that kind of Hokage, from the start until the end."

THE END.

**Well, it's finished. I came up with this ending some time ago, when one of my friends told me a speech about the circle of life. Death is not that sad, if you were able to leave some good memories of you to those who will live on.**

**So, now I'd really like to know what you think about this story. I hope, from the deep of my heart, that you liked it. **

**By the way, if you din't like this ending, I still have another one in my mind, which would be a little bit less "bitter" than this. Just let me know.**


End file.
